Invoice-holder.



FQE.

ROBERT C. BENDER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

INVOICE-HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT C. BENDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in invoice-Holders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to an invoice holder particularly of the general type disclosed in Patents Nos. 1,256,866 and 1,256,867 issued to me February 19, 1918, the principal object of my present invention being to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the invoice holders disclosed in said patents, and further, to combine with the body of an invoice holder a spring-held retaining device which yieldingly holds the invoice slips or cards in proper position upon the face of the holder, and further to combine with said retaining device and holder a secondary or auxiliary retaining device, preferably in the form of an elastic band which is effective in retaining the invoices in position on the holder when the primary or main retaining device is lifted for the purpose of inserting or removing one or more invoice sheets or cards.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichigure 1 is a front elevational view of an invoice holder of my improved construction and showing an invoice sheet or card held in position on the body of the holder by the retaining devices.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 2*2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section through the lower portion of the holder.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the central portion of the bottom of my improved holder.

Referring by numerals to the accompany` Specification of Letters Patent.

lApplication filed April 18, 1918.

Patented Sept. 24, 1918.

sel-iai No. 229,340.

the side edges of which are curled rearwardly to form marginal beads 11.

Formed integral with the upper edge of the body 10 and to the sides of the center thereof are relatively narrow sections of sheet metal which are bent forwardly and downwardly to form retaining lips 12 and stamped from the material forming the body 10 at points below these lips 12 are pairs of upwardly presented retaining lips 13.

Suitable cards 14 on which may be printed or written suitable data relating to the invoices positioned on the holder, are adapted to be removably inserted between the retaining lips 12 and 13.

Stamped upwardly or forwarding from the material forming the body 10 of the holder and in the space between the pairs of retaining lips 12 and 13 are suitably arranged retaining lips 11ia which are adapted to receive and hold a removable card 15, same bearing an index number or the i re,

Stamped upwardly from the material forming the body 10 at points near the side edges thereof and below the outer pair of retaining lips 13 are pairs of retaining lips 16 beneath which are adapted to be positioned the Iend portions of a removable card 17 or the like which bears certain printed and written data relating to the invoices positioned on the holder.

A lip 16 ispressed forwardly from the central portion of the body 10 between the lower pair of lips 16 for the purpose of engaging and supporting the lower edge of card 17.

Immediately above the lower edge of the body 10 of the holder, a portion of the metal is depressed or bent rearwardly to form a horizontally disposed groove 18 and portions of the metal near the ends of this groove are pressed forwardly as designated by 19 to form housings for the ends of the invoice retaining device associated with the holder. This retaining device is formed from a single length of wire bent to form a pair of parallel legs 20, the upper ends of which are united by a short horizontally disposed portion 21 and which latter is bent outward slightly, away from the upper portions of the legs 20, thereby enabling the upper end of the retaining device to be engaged by the iinger and pulled outward away from the holder.

The lower portions of the legs 2O are bent downwardly at right angles to the body portions of said legs as designated by 22 and from the inner ends of said portions 22, the ends of the section of wire are bent outwardly as designated by 23 and these outwardly projecting portions are positioned beneath the housings 19. Positioned on said `portions 23 beneath the housings 19 are small torsional springs 24, one end of each spring being fixed to the member 23 and the other end bearing against the rear side of the body 10. These torsional springs act to normally cause the upper portion of the retaining device comprising the legs 20 and transverse member 2,1 to bear with pressure against the front face of the body 10 or against the upper portions of the invoices positioned on the body of the holder.

The bent portions 22 at the lower ends of the legs 20 are provided in order thfat a relatively large number of invoice sheets or cards may be placed one on top of the other on the holder 10 and in order to retain these invoices in position when t-he upper portions of the legs 20 are pulled away from the holder to insert or remove an invoice, l provide an auxiliary retaining device in the form of an elastic strap 25, the upper end of which is looped over anc. secured to the center of the transverse port-ion 21 at the upper end of the spring-held retaining device while the lower end of said elast-ic strap is provided with a. hook 2G, preferably of metal, and which is adapted to engage the lower edge of plate 10. rlhe lower portion of this elastic member 25 will always lie directly against the lower central portion of the upper one of the invoice .sheets positioned on the holder, and consequently, those invoice slips which are positioned on said holder will be retained in proper position even while the upper end ofthe spring-held retaining device is pulled out *ardly to admit the insertion of one or more additional invoices. This auxiliary retaining device is particularly effective when there is only one or two invoice sheets on the holder, for, under suc-h conditions, the lower portion of the elastic band will bear with pressure against the lower portion of the single invoice sheet and prevent the same from dropping from the holder when the spring-held retaining device is lifted for the insertion of additional invoices.

An invoice holder of my improved construction is comparatively simple, can be easily and cheaply manufactured, and provides an eiiicient and convenient time and labor saving device for all business houses using invoice sheets or the like.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved invoice holder may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An invoice holder comprising/a plate, a spring-held invoice retaining device hinged to the lower portion of said plate and overlying the face thereof, and a secondary invoice retaining device comprising an elastic member, one end of which is connected to the upper portion of the spring-held retaining device and the other end being adapted to be detaehably secured to the lower portion of the body of the holder.

ln a device of the class described, a plate adapted to receive invoices, a springpressed retaining device hinged to the plate and adapted to overlie the invoices positioned thereupon, and means associated with said retaining device and with the body of the holder for engaging with yielding pressure the lower portions of the invoices positioned on the holder.

3. The herein described invoice holder comprising a plate, a member hinged thereon, means associated with said member for causing the free end thereof to bear with yielding pressure upon the upper portions of the invoice .sheets placed on the holder, and means associated with said member and adapted to bear with yielding pressure on the lower portions of the invoice sheets placed on the holder.

l. ln an invoice holder, a plate, and means associated therewith for retaining invoice sheets on the face of the plate, said means comprising a spring-pressed member hinged to said plate, an elastic member carried by said spring-pressed member, and means carried by said elastic member whereby its free end may be secured to the holder.

In testimony whereof l hereunto affix my signature this 15th day of April, 1918.

ROBERT C. BENDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente. Washington, ZD. C. 

